Photo via assistnews.net

Searching for miracles – in the eternal city of Rome

At the same time that people from around the world have been voting for their favorite contestants in local TV talents shows like American Idol, Christian doctors gathering in the eternal city of Rome, for a “Spirituality and Medicine” conference, have searching for a much more important winner – miracles, reports Dan Wooding from Rome, special to http://www.assistnews.net/a.

The more than 270 medical delegates from 40 countries, are members of the World Christian Doctors Network (WCDN) and they flocked into Rome for the 7th International Annual “Spirituality and Medicine” Conference held May 21-22, 2010, at the Sheraton Roma Hotel & Conference Center.

The many doctors who come from countries as diverse as Nigeria, Uganda, Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the former Soviet Union and even the tiny Faroe Islands, all believe in praying for their sick patients – with their permission of course.

But these doctors also believe that miracles should be “provable” and many of them brought their medical data with them -- which was then printed out in a book and also shown on a big screen. After this, they took questions from their peers who wanted to check out the veracity of what they had said.

“We believe that a miracle should be provable from a medical standpoint,” said one doctor. “That is why we allow our peers to examine the evidence and then question the doctor making the presentation so they can then decide for themselves if this is a real miracle or not.”

So do miracles still happen today, or as some believe, has the age of miracles passed?

Dr. Mauro Adragna, Director of WCDN Italy, and Chairman of the conference organizing committee, believes they still occur and shared with the attendees that he has been a specialist in psychiatrics and in his work, he has dealt with what he calls the “problems of marginalization cooperating at the constitution and management of Christian communities for recovering from drug addiction.”

After having worked some years in private clinics for nervous and psychiatric diseases as well as in a psychiatric hospital, he then began to approach a “less medical-based relationship with the patient.” He talked about his own “conversion” experience and how he says it is being “renewed by a constant and progressive work of the Holy Spirit.”

Through this spiritual experience in his life, Dr. Adragna says that developed a new “therapeutic Christ-based method of treatment” and has shared about it as a guest speaker in many conferences around Italy and also abroad.

“These meeting were concerned with different issues, such as mind renewal, inner healing, demonology, prevention and treatment of depression and anxiety diseases,” he said.

He also told the conference that he had worked for 12 years as general practitioner in a slum of Palermo called Zen and then, for many years had been Pastor, of the “Canto di Sion” community, a branch of the Evangelical Church of Reconciliation.

One of the much-awaited keynote speakers this year’s conference year was Dr. Chauncey W. Crandall IV, who serves at the Palm Beach Cardiovascular Clinic in Palm Beach, Florida.

The room was hushed as Dr. Crandall produced dramatic evidence that was shown on the screen and then told of that day on October 20, 2006 when a middle-aged auto mechanic, Jeff Markin, walked into the Emergency Room at the Palm Beach Gardens hospital and collapsed from a massive heart attack.

Forty minutes later Markin was declared dead. After filling out his final report, Dr. Crandall, the supervising cardiologist, started out of the room.

In a later interview, Dr. Crandall told me, “Before I crossed its threshold, however, I sensed God was telling me to turn around and pray for that dead patient.”

Crandall had learned to follow that impulse even if he was embarrassed. “Father God,” he said, under his breath, “I cry out for this man’s soul. If he does not know you as his Lord and Savior, raise him from the dead now, in Jesus’ name.”

With that prayer and Dr. Crandall’s instruction to give the man what seemed one more useless shock from the defibrillator, Jeff Markin came back to life—and remains alive and well today and has since been baptized and has joined a local church.

Korean worship team perform fan dance, photo via assistnews.net

At a press conference on Thursday, May 20, 2010 in Rome, Dr. Crandall told members of the Italian media that attending the 5th Annual International Christian Medical Conference in the beautiful Norwegian city of Trondheim, not far from the Arctic Circle, had been a “real turning point in my life.”

He went on to say, “Up until then, I thought I was standing alone as a believer in praying for the sick. I had no other physician that I could counsel with, review cases with, or someone who didn't think I was possibly crazy for praying for my patients.

“I think what was more powerful than anything else to see the physician up on stage presenting a case and giving the truth of the gospel that Jesus heals. To me it was just wonderful to see other colleagues believe the way I do. That's the mighty power of Jesus Christ.”

In welcoming the delegates, Dr. Gilbert Chae, President of WCDN, who comes from Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, said, “The same miracles, signs and wonders performed by Jesus 2,000 years ago are still taking place even today…. With this desire of God, WCDN (World Christian Doctors Network) was organized to medically analyze divine healing cases performed by God, clarify the data before and after the healing and testify with those data that God is alive and the Bible is authentic, and thereby to awaken not only unbelievers, but intellectual people including medical doctors and scientists as well.

“While gathering many divine healing cases, many frames of my thought were destroyed. I pray in the name of the Lord you will become convicted that God is almighty and the Bible is true and also play an important part in awakening unbelieving doctors at your hospitals.

“The International Christian Medical Conference by WCDN [founded by Dr. Jaerock Lee] is held every year: the first conference was held in Seoul, Korea in 2004, the 2nd in the city of Chennai in India, the 3rd in the city of Cebu in the Philippines, the 4th in Miami, USA, the 5th in Trondheim of Norway and 6th in the Kiev of Ukraine. Up until now, 500 doctors have joined the ministry of WCDN.

“I believe everything has been done by the grace of God. From now on WCDN will wake up as many medical doctors and intellectuals through divine healing cases performed by the power of God. I give thanks to all of you here in attendance once again.”

Besides the various presentations, the doctors enjoyed times of worship and were also blessed by the beautiful dance and musical presentations by the Korean team that, as always, were of the highest order.

This is a partial listing of the countries from where delegates came from: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, China, Denmark, Germany, Honduras, India, Israel, Italy, Kenya, Lithuania, Namibia, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UK, USA, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

WCDN is an Interdenominational organization composed of Christian Medical Professionals of the World. WCDN says that it wants to “motivate the Christian Medical Professionals to reflect the love of Jesus Christ and to be a witness for Him in their professional life.

Note: Dan Wooding is also in Italy to co-host a 30 minute TV documentary about the conference which will include interviews with many of the doctors and scenes from some of the most beautiful churches and historic sites in Italy including those in Florence, Milan and Rome. The show, which Wooding is co-hosting with Singapore based broadcaster, Ping Ping Wong, whose husband is a medical doctor, is due to be broadcast soon via the Global Christian Network (GCN) in Atlanta, Georgia, and other TV sources around the world.

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TAGS: Italy American Idol Christian doctors “Spirituality and Medicine” conference World Christian Doctors Network

[05/30/2010]

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